Coq au Vin

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven and add chopped bacon, frying until browned but not crisp. Remove bacon to a side dish.
Dry chicken with paper towel and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in the bacon grease. You may have to do this a few pieces at a time.
Return bacon and chicken to the pot, cover and cook on medium-low for about ten minutes, turning the chicken once.
Optional: Turn off the heat, uncover the pot and pour in the cognac. Turn your face away and ignite the cognac. Shake the pot lightly back and forth for several seconds until the flames subside. Note - I never add the cognac and my coq au vin is always delicious but I'm putting it here because Julia added it!
Pour wine into the pot and add just enough chicken or beef stock to cover the chicken. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and the bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and juices run clear.
Remove the chicken to a casserole dish, saving the sauce in the pot. (The chicken will have absorbed a lot of red wine and be a weird purplish color but the sauce willcover it, so it will be fine.)

Mushrooms: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon oil. When the butter is hot, add the mushrooms. Stir gently every few minutes until lightly browned and tender, about ten minutes. If your skillet is not large then do the mushrooms in batches. Too many mushrooms in the pan will cause them to steam rather than fry. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish with the chicken and use the same skillet for the onions.
Onions: melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in skillet on medium-high until hot. Add the onions, turn heat down to medium, and sauté for about ten minutes, stirring gently so the skins don't break. Brown as evenly as possible and then add 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock, salt, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme.
Cover and simmer slowly for about thirty minutes or until the onions are tender but retain their shape. Remove from the skillet and add onions to the chicken.

Simmer the chicken cooking liquid for a minute or two, skimming off the fat. Then raise the heat and boil rapidly, reducing the liquid to about 2 cups. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Turn off the heat and discard the bay leaf.
Blend the remaining 3 tablespoons softened butter and 3 tablespoons flour together into a smooth paste, then whisk into the sauce.
Bring the sauce back to a simmer, stirring, and simmer for a minute or two. The sauce will thicken and should coat the back of a spoon.
At this point, if you are making the recipe ahead, cover the chicken and place in a warming drawer or oven on the lowest setting. Julia says if you're making ahead then you should add some small dots of butter to the sauce and set it aside uncovered. Just before serving, bring the sauce back to a simmer and pour over the chicken. If you're making this recipe a day in advance, placstorerything in the refrigerator.
Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve garnished with fresh sprigs of parsley.